‘We are not cars’: Stokes criticises packed schedule

Authorities should stop treating players like “cars” and fix cricket’s “jam-packed” schedule to retain multi-format players, England’s Ben Stokes said.   Stokes announced his shock retirement from one-day internationals on Monday saying playing all three formats of the game had become “unsustainable” for him. He elaborated further on his decision ahead of his 105th and final ODI which South Africa won by 62 runs.    “We are not cars,” the 31-year-old told BBC Test Match Special.“You can’t just fill us up and we’ll go out there and be ready to be fuelled up again.”  

 “We had a Test series and then the one-day team had a series going on at the same time - that was a bit silly.” Stokes, who took over as England’s Test captain in April, has battled injuries in recent times and also took a break from the game last year to focus on his mental well-being.   (REUTERS)